CCM Receives National Science Foundation Grant for Cyber Defense Program

Friday, October 27th, 2017

Providing a Financial Benefit of Approximately $250,000 for a Higher Education

County College of Morris has received $70,451 as a sub-recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to Stevens Institute of Technology to assist students interested in developing a career in cyber security.

Cyber Security Data Protection illustration.

The grant, or CyberCorps Scholarship for Service, was awarded to Stevens Institute with CCM serving as a partner so selected community college students can participate in the program.

The award covers all educational costs for a student during his or her final year at CCM and also the expenses associated with earning a bachelor’s degree in cyber security at Stevens.

In exchange for receiving the scholarship, CCM recipients are asked to spend three years working with a federal, state or local organization in the area of cyber security.

Covering all expenses for three years of college, the grant through the CCM/Stevens partnership equates to a financial benefit of approximately $250,000 for students.

CCM awarded its first CyberCorps sub-grant in 2016 to Andrew Soutar, of Morris Plains, who now is working on his bachelor’s degree at Stevens.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to earn both an associate and bachelor’s degree and then to start work immediately on a career path that is certain to be rewarding on multiple levels,” said CCM President Anthony J. Iacono, who credited Department of Information Technologies Professor Patricia Tamburelli and Chair Nancy Binowski for obtaining the scholarship.

CCM is a nationally recognized leader in cyber defense education. Early this year, the college was named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education through a program sponsored by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.

The college currently offers a certificate program in information security and an Associate in Applied Science in Information Technology with both a digital forensics and information security track. Also offered is an Associate in Science in Criminal Justice with a specialization in computer forensics.